Wheel for railway-automobiles.



' I F. E. CHAPIN. WHEEL FOR RAILWAY AUTOMOBILE S APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1916.

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

.1/ b It 10 7mm it may concern:

. Be it known thatI, FRANK E.',Criai ln,

.ciitizen of the United States, residing at -San Jose,..in.the county of Santa Clara and B ailway Automobiles, ,of dvhicli the follow- State of California, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in (heels 1 ing is a specification.

is, ,Tlhe ,nerelnafter ,descr bed inyention ,re-

lates to ,an improve 1 wheel construction for application toautonnbdes forenablingsaid aaa ed. a e use on ra lways", by enabling TQf V h es; .tali "the Pla e of heavy and expensiv'eform of cars at present e1n{ 'plo'yed in co iinection with the operation of elec ric an St ee r i ay a d, y d e 'aala ia' haaxeawy op aa e to 'success1teIy competewith the so-called jitneys, which atthe'present time 'enter' into" mama competition with the passenger carrying railways. v

By providing for the use of automobiles in connection withtlie railways as at; present established, the heavy expense incident to the running of electrically operated vehicles and 1-0 )ell'e d )ass'en er carryin ve hicles is dispensed with and the railway is thereby enabled to successfully compete with the jitneys or light road traveling vehicles which at the present time enter into active competition with the street and electric railways, and due to the fact that the auto cars of the railway will run on fixed trackways, they maybe operated at a much less drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspectlve View of a wheel with the metallic flanged tread applied thereto. Fig. 2 is avertical sectional View of the wheel. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the clamping and centering rings employed for securing the rim to the wheel.

' wiinnn ron' RAILWAY-AUTOMOBILES,

4 Spedifiatiir of Letters Patent". P'atgnhgfl: application filed July 17, 191 s. "l saw in. 199,640.,

b emay, be utilized for said type Bee; in,

new aw-tea clamp plates for the lona ry clamp (til.

ingring; F 1g. of'is a similar view of" one I" of the clamp lugs for the removable or outer clan'1ping.rin Fig. 6 a detail view of one of the supp ortingi'ph ites for the j outer clampineline.

. .I ...I In the draw ngs, the numeral 1 is used to designate tlie,hu,b.of aiiloiidinary automobile wheel, 2 radial 'fs'polres" thereof, and 8 the usual wooden fei-1y,-prov1nm with transverse bores for the receptlonof the rim securing bolts 4. The manic riin ortread is represented'by'the numeral 5, which s of a size to slip freely onto the felly 3, and the same is formed wfitliifur'integral outstanding raii. fia ngebf The"'ini1e r' circumferential edges of the metallic 'tread or rim 5 are inwardlybev'ele'd, as"indi'ca -tcd at 7 and'T, and the outer circumferential edgesjof the felly are similarlybeveled, as'indica'ted at 8 8. These bevelsp'r inclines when the metallic rim or tread '5'is'fitted onto the folly 3 provide inclined annular channels or seats 99 forthe' rece 'tmnf f the metallic centering and s'eci'ir ng"11ngs"10+-10, each of which is providedwith' thedorible inclined surfaces aa' whichbear against the in- V clined faces 7 7 and 8 S' respectively of the rim and felly when the said rings are seated within the annular channels, grooves or seats 1010, and serve when forced inwardly to center the metallic ring 5 relative to the wooden felly 3 of the wheel.

As stated, the folly 3 of the wheel. is provided circumferentially with a series of transverse bores 11 for the reception of the securing bolts 4, the head 4 of each bolt holding to the inner face of the felly a clamp plate 12. Each of said plates is provided with a shouldered flange section 13, for the support of the centering ring 10 and the holding of the same in adjusted position. The opposite or companion centering ring 10 is held in position by means of the verti- 10o Cally slotted clamp lugs 14, through the slotted portion of which extends the screw threaded end I) of the bolt 4. The nut 15 screwed onto the end Z) bears against the outer face of the clamp lug 14 and holds the same firmly against the centering and securing ring'10' and the supporting plate 16. The said plate 16 is screwed to the outer face of the felly 3 and its upper end portion is cut away at b to straddle the securing no means therefor.

oples of this patent may be obtained for bolt 4, and at its lower end said plate is formed with an outstanding shoulder 17 on which rests and is supported the shoulder 17 of the clamp lug 14.

Fig. 1 of the drawings illustrates the metallic flanged rim or tread secured or attached to the felly of an ordinary automobile wheel, the said tread taking the place of the usual pneumatic rim. To remove the said metallic flanged-rim or tread 5, it is only required to unscrew or loosen the nuts 15 of the securing bolts 4, to permit the clamp lugs to be moved outwardly until the shoulder-l7 clears the shoulder 17 of the supporting plate 16, when the said clamp lug is permitted to drop downwardly the distance of the vertical slot 0 therein. When thus lowered the said clamp lug is supported on the securing bolt 4 and when each clamp lug'has been thus released, the centering ring 10 is free to be removed and the metallic flanged rim 5 slipped from th felly 3.

In order to adapt an ordinary automobile for use on the track rails of an established street or electric railway, it is only required to remove from the wheels thereof the outer tires, metallic rim and the attaching The flanged metallic rim 5 is then slipped onto the wooden fell'y of the wheel, the centering rings 10 and 10', clamp plates 12 and clamp lugs 14 properly positioned, and the nuts 15 tightened onto the bolts 4,to draw the centering rings securely against the inclined faces of the flanged metallic rim and the felly 3 of the wheel.

I am aware that metallic flanged wheels have been applied to automobiles for the purpose of allowing the same to be used on rails, but in such case a metallic constructed car wheel is substituted for the automobile wheel. In the present case, the wheels of the automobile are utilized and a flanged rail running rim demountably secured thereon, with the result that a change may be quickly made either to adapt the automobile for travel on the tracks of the railway or for travel on roadbeds.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is The combination with an automobile wheel, of a flanged metallic rail running rim fitted to the felly thereof, centering rings adapted to engage the telly and rim at each plates for one of said rings, a series of slotand the felly.

' side thereof, a series of supporting clamp In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscrib ng w1tnesses.

FRANK E. OHAPIN.

Witnesses:

Fnnonmcic GRIFFIN, WILLIAM F. JAMns.

five cents each by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

